Here Comes the Sun
by NoBoundries13
Summary: After, 'degrassi goes hollywood'. CRASH fanfic.
1. This is Now

"Ashley Kerwin?" "Yes?"Carefully putting the cap back on her red lip stick,  
The tall, skinny brunette straightens her blouse as she stands up from the vanity in her dressing room.

The man standing behind her, holding a telephone in one hand, the owner of the club.  
scratches his unshaven face before handing her the phon Nonchalantly, he shrugs,

"I think they said Greg? I don't know. Music too loud. Speaking of music you got a room full of people out there waiting to hear yours so make it quick." She nods knowingly, placing the phone to here. She waits for the man the exit before speaking into the reciever. "Hello?" "Hey! Ash It's Craig!" She smiles slightly at the sound of his voice. She knew it was him.

It was always him. It was sort of a routine.  
Craig called every other day of the week, just to check up to see what she was up to in Europe. It was one of the things Ash looked forward to most during the week, besides the fans who cried and yelled her name as she unraveled on stage every night. Craig and Ash had been their seperate ways for about 4 months now and it was hard for Ash to adapt in some place unfamilar, without anyone she loved or cared about sharing it with her. Craig tried to convince her to come to L.A., but she was set on learning to fend for herself.  
Craig started to call not even a month after he'd left, just to make sure Ash was okay.

The first night he called, she told him that she would be fine, as long as they talked every now and then. Ash was suprised that Craig seemed to be doing better on his own than she was. She was kind of Jealous since she was always the one who always seemed to have everything together.

"Hey Manning, I thought I got rid of you? Haven't heard from you since...Monday?" Craig laughed sarcasticaly into the phone, "Which is why this call is somewhat significant." "Aren't they always?" She rolls her eyes as if Craig can see.  
"So anyways, I'm in L.A. , I'm standing outside of a convinent store with Pete and such, eating my favorite chips, you know, the kind I always get, with the-"  
"Just get on with it Manning, I have fans waiting." Ash says dramatically, shaking her head. She loved how Craig would ramble about the littlest things to every detail, just to make sure she knew what he was talking about. She hated to cut him off, but she heard footsteps coming towards her dressing room. This time it was her manager, Ronniw. he wasn't as relaxed as usual, but rather antsy as he tapped his watch and raised his eyebrows at Ashley. Craig continued,"Alright ok, so anways Out from around the corner comes Ellie!." Ash kind of jerks her neck back at the sound of Ellie's name. She had written Elle, but Ellie never wrote back. She thought that she resented her for going on tour with Craig, and most importantly, not telling anyone about it. Especially her. Although Ash had felt bad, this was about her making it as a musician, not about Craig or Highschool drama that still carried on even after everyone else had graduated. "Oh really? Ho-How is she?" "Well, she's still our Ellie, that's for sure. She looks good, she looks really good...We actually hungout and uh.. she asked about you," Craig Carried on,"She was staying with Paige, and um...she came over to my beach house a few times-" "Ash, we gotta get going dollface." Her manager gave her one last stern look before turning on his heel to exit. "Craig, I have to go. I'll call you tonight ok?" Craig sighs into the reciever.  
"Alright, well, go get em' Kerwin. I'm your biggest fan." The same thing he said at the end of every conversation. "I know it." She put the phone down on her vanity and took one last look in the mirror, giving herself one last bit of encouragement,"Go get em' Kerwin."


	2. Only we know

Craig laid in his unmade bed, staring at the clock, waiting for Ash to call. He thought about how his supposively perfect model girlfriend left,  
after he told her about the kiss with Ellie. He thought about how she took the good pillows. It's sad that that's the only thing he missed.  
It really didn't bother him that she left, but that fact that he was alone again.  
For the first time, since rehab, he was completely alone. It was a bit scary at first, but he was actually starting to enjoy the silence, the time he had to write music, time to himself, not worrying about hurting anyone.  
He'd kept in contact with Ellie since she last made her appearance in L.A. She'd been spending more time with her father,  
taking things one day at a time. Craig wondered about their kiss. They said they'd always have L.A. but what did that mean?  
He loved Ellie, he cared about her. But, he wasn't in love with her. He just missed something familar.

He'd spent months on tour with Ash,  
and once again, they were torn apart by some uncontrollable force that wanted it to happen this way.  
But Ellie, she was always there, he almost felt like, he was suppose to be with her. Not necessarily because he wanted to,  
just because he thought that is what god, or whoever was trying to tell him, by having Ellie show up whenever he needed someone. He almost felt obligated to be with her.

He didn't know how Ash would react about his kiss with Ellie. Although, the first time He and Ellie kissed,  
Ash knew about it, and kind of just shrugged it off. he wondered if this meant that they had finally reached that stage where they could be comfortable to talk about things like this to each other.

Ash never mentioned He and Ellie while on tour. She'd mentioned Ellie, and how much she missed her,  
but never had she mentioned anything about he and Ellie's kiss, or the fact that Ellie was much in love with Craig. She never really brought up anything about him being with other girls. He didn't know if it was because it hurt her to think about, she thought it was his own busniess, or, she just simply didn't care. Anything but the last one, Craig had hoped.  
Once, Ash asked about his addiction to coke, while having a burger and fries, after their purple dragon performance; sitting in Craig's hotel room.

"So...what was it like? Like... what did it feel like?" Ash played with a fry in her fingers. For a moment, and watched craig carefully stack his fries ontop of the hamburger meat, then carefully placing the bread back on top. Ash cleared her throat, catching his attention.  
Craig looks at her squinting his eyebrows, not really knowing what they were talking about. Had he zoned out on an entire conversation while chowing on his burger?

He see's her uneasiness and realizes what she is talking about, she just didn't want to say the word, "Coke?" Craig answers back as if she'd just asked him what day it was.

"yeah.. yeah coke.." She choked the words out and shook her head as if shaking off a dirty feeling.

"You're not planning on trying it are you?"

"What? No! No of course not. I've had my share of drug experiences. Believe me, I'm done."

Craig bites his lip remembering the time Ash told told him that she tried exstacy, and how she lost everyone.  
He suddenly realized that Ash would understand no matter what, more than anyone, cos she'd been there.  
He wipes the ketchup from his mouth and sets his burger on the night stand beside him. he folds his legs indian style, as he sits across from Ash. She stares straight into his eyes, wanting to get the words out before he could even say them.

"Well... It's kind of like, when you first do it, the drip sucks. It tastes disgusting. Your throat get's really numb, almost feels like it's closing on you, your nose gets all stuffy. Then, you just feel really.. i don't know alert? Like 'you are here.' That type of feeling," He watches as Ash takes in all the information. her face suprisingly not judgemental, but more than anything, an almost undertsnading look. Almost as if knowing.

"You can't eat. Can't sleep. The come down sucks."

"Yep. All sounds too familar."

"And yet," Craig continues, looking off past Ash, past everything around him, "You still can't stop."

Ash nods and sighs as Craig returns back to his food.

"What made you ask anyways?" Craig asks, his mouth full.

" I don't know, I .... I won't ask you why you did it. Because I know how things go."

Craig kind of looks up and smiles at Ash. He loved how well she knew him.

"Thank you."  
"Just, don't do it again, okay? You have too much going for you."

"I know Ash. I know. And I don't plan to. It was pretty embarrassing having my nose bleed on stage. In front of everyone."

Craig winces remembering that day. The day when enough was enough. He honestly didn't even remember getting on the stage,  
just horrid stares, and scarlett red.

"Yeah I bet. But that ended up being the wake up call. You needed that."

Ash playfully punches his shoulder trying to break the smirks.

"If you put it that way,"

"I do."

"Okay well.. enough talking. Eat! Before I eat it for you!."  
Ash guards her food with her arm and laughs.

"You are such a scavenger."

Craig bangs on his chest like a caveman,

"Rockstar! Need fuel!" 


End file.
